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X had a M16 rifle in his hands as he lay down atop of a building just by the Flouri Airport. His crew was already inside of the airport with their guns. They were holding the innocents hostage at the time and X was waiting. Waiting for his target.

The target was John Bucken. The leader of a Reaper organization that has, as of lately, been starting many riots around Rosen and claiming that humans were at fault for most of the things that went on. Humans? When they were the ones going around killing people that weren’t ready to die? And it was humans fault? HA! Yeah fuckin right.

He could feel a nice breeze on his neck as he inhaled. Every single time he did this. He imagined his mother. His father. The both of them together. They weren’t ready to die. They just weren’t and he knew it. He saw it in their eyes.

But the Reaper didn’t. The Reaper just decided to kill them off with a nasty, shit eating smirk on his face. They didn’t deserve it. They didn’t DESE-

X presses the trigger with his eyes nearly closed and there it goes. Through the glass window perfectly and right at the man's head. It was a perfect shot just like his other ones.

The black gloves on his hands felt hot. He didn't know the reason why but they did. X grabs his rifle and heads down the stairs, ultimately jumping down and landing on two feet. Once he went through the airport entrance doors, he could see only a few x-rays. These were innocent people. Most of them were Reapers. His crew awaited his orders. Once he lifted his right hand, 5 men came in, carrying in their hands a Reaper. Each of the reapers had a bomb strapped to them and 3 of them were crying while the other 2 were trembling. It didn't matter though.

X called over one of the other members and whispered something into his ear. Soon, they began to let the humans exit the building. Hopefully all of them but doubtful. With that, he signaled for his crew to leave the building after properly stationing the Reapers. After that, they left the building quickly. Everything was done quickly and organized. They locked the doors after they left and went over to the vans that were parked outside of the building. It wasn't too far but it wasn't close at all either. All of them get into the car after putting the weapons in the back.

"Are we ready to go?"

"Yeah."

X doesn't talk. He just sits in front of the wheel and begins to drive. Seconds after, he presses a button and explosions can be heard throughout the entire place. The booming sound which caused his crew member to laugh and cheer. Those idiots. X felt many things at this time. Many things.

And regret wasn't one of them.

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"We're just in, the Flouri bank was hit last night at around 8 PM. How many casualties were there Allen?" Marine bites her bottom lip at the news as she waits for the report.

"...55 dead and 140 injured. And counting." she says in a confident tone. Her expression was stone cold and you wouldn't be able to tell that she was afraid. As a Reaper, she was afraid. "Only 4 humans were found dead and it seems to have been the terrorist group against humans that has hit. The D.T.R. This is... they're 4th big hit this month. Th-this one seems to be a suicide bombing. That is all the facts for now. We'll go to Allen for more details on this terrorist group."

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. Those fucking cunts. Goddamn fucking cunts. She had her mark covered and everyone probably thought that she was a human. This terrorist group was scary. Terrifying. They were monsters.

"Get me a mother fucking glass of water. Now."

---

Mornings in the flat smelled like bacon, toast, and groggy contempt. RJ was a morning person usually, just not today. He and one of his roommates, Lucas, had been up until three in the morning to sort out all of the details of last night’s bombing. The bosses had ordered all of the psychologists and social workers to stay late to receive the traumatized and hold any minors who were affected. Needless to say, the two young men were tired. The other two roommates, Amelia and Noah, were sympathetic, only not enough to break from their morning routines.

The radio played the local news station, which was still covering last night’s story.
“Four humans have been found dead. The rest of the casualties are reapers. Could it be that the infamous gang, Death to Reapers, is the perpetrator? Could it have been a suicide bombing group? As of right now, 8:15 AM, there has been no one to come out and claim responsibility. All we can say for now is that we all need to be careful, reapers espe-” it suddenly stopped as Noah unplugged the radio. He was NOT a morning person and yet another terrorist act was not aligning with his daily agenda.

RJ stared blankly into his bowl of Lucky Charms. His hazel eyes were not shiny as usual, but glossed over, dead looking. He was wearing what he woke up in, simply a pair of black jeans and his glasses. He yawned, blinked, and then checked his phone. Just then, it rang, making everyone in the room startle.

“Hello?” RJ answered, with a deep morning voice. “Yes sir.” He looked up with mild annoyance on his face. “No, I can handle it. Okay, let me get a pen and paper.” RJ slowly got up and grabbed a pen and a pad of sticky notes from the counter. He leaned against the kitchen door frame and stated that he was ready for the caller to continue. He scribbled down an address in his sharp cursive writing and hung up.

“Damn, what do they want you for this time?” Lucas asked. He was also annoyed by the call. The boys were promised to be given half the day off due to their overnight shift last night.

In the next moment, before replying, RJ’s face lit up to its normal sun-shiny state. He looked at the address on the yellow square with excitement and love. “There’s been a noise complaint,” he blurted. His three roommates stared at him incredulously. Noise complaints don’t usually elicit this response from RJ. “They’re reapers.” RJ explained. Everyone nodded in sudden understanding.

RJ went and put on a long sleeved olive green t-shirt and slung his bag across his chest. He walked back into the dining room to grab a set of keys from the rack on the wall next to his bedroom.

“I’ll pick you up at noon, Luke,” RJ said as he was heading out the door.

“Don’t bother. I’ll just call in sick today,” Lucas called after him. He wasn’t sure RJ heard him, as he was too far down the hall already, door wide open. The three roommates sighed deeply and continued to have a bacon filled morning.

RJ skipped down the stairs, jumping over the last few steps of each flight just to go faster. He left the apartment complex through the garage, found his car, and headed to Rosen. It was a shorter drive than usual. RJ was speeding down the road with a sense of urgency and adventure fueling him.

He pulled up a few houses away from the address he was given just in case something went south, as things often do at this job. He shuddered at the memory of some angry citizens going at his partner’s new BMW with crowbars and wrenches as they tried to peel away. The last thing he wanted was for that to happen to his own white Nissan. RJ snapped out of it and got out of the car. His pace as he walked towards the house was quick. He used his long legs to accelerate the process.

RJ walked up the steps and rang the doorbell. He took one step back from the door, folded his hands behind him in a ‘Hello, sir, would you like to buy some Boy Scout popcorn?’ kind of way, and waited patiently.

Gran's Boutique

The quiet morning came to an end the second Audrey's grandmother turned on the television. 55 corpses and 140 injured people... those fucking terrorists weren't joking around. The news of the bombing left a bad taste in Audrey's mouth and her stomach tied itself into a knot as she sat speechless on the wooden floor, eyes glued to the TV and a forkful of noodles crammed into her mouth. And humans thought they were goddamn awful? The thought forced a humorless chuckle out of Audrey and her grandmother shot her a look.

"I don't see what's funny, Riri," came the older woman's curt reply.

Audrey was startled. "Of course it isn't, Gran." It was terrible, and thinking about all those reapers who'd been sentenced to death got her blood boiling. Who were the humans to condemn them when they themselves performed terrible atrocities like this? She clenched her fists and jolted to her feet, nearly knocking the bowl of noodles over in the process.

The TV droned on as her grandmother spun around to look at her.

"Humans should get over themselves," Audrey scoffed.

The older woman frowned. "It's horrible, but not all humans want this."

She knew that, she wasn't stupid. Still, Audrey couldn't help but hate them. "Yeah, anyway, I'll catch you later, gran. I want to check something out." The worried look on her gran's face made her soften her scowl and Audrey paused as she gave the back of her head a sheepish rub. "Hey, gran, don't worry. I'll be careful out there, I always am." It helped that her grandmother wasn't aware of all the trouble she was throwing herself into, but hey, a girl's gotta have secrets, right? Audrey made a show out of reaching for beloved skelly gloves and pulled them over her hands. "See, presto chang-o, I just made my mark disappear."

The older woman shook her head before letting out a soft sigh. "Be back before dinner this time, okay?"

Guilt flashed across the girl's face, but she quickly buried it beneath a grin. "I'll try, promise." And with that, Audrey was off, grabbing at her jacket and cap before thundering down the steps and to the clothing boutique on the first floor. The tiny bell above the door gave a soft jingle as she exited the shop.

From the top of the stairs, her grandmother watched as Audrey hopped onto her bike and zipped off.

^{L0WER-RAVENMAY19TH|8:30am}

Yurako tossed and turned the entire night. The man she had been sold to for the day prior had but a wink of sleep as well, not that he seemed to mind. His bloodshot eyes were too busy having been glued to the news station obnoxiously blaring their current state of affairs. That same calloused thumb never left the 'replay' button, even through the wee hours. Was he watching a fucking recording? Groaning, she struggled to shut the noise out, nearly suffocating herself via down pillows in the process. The young hostess was never fond of insomniacs, much like this one - she appreciated her beauty sleep. And even then, usually they'd take their wakefulness and utilize it to their advantage. At least then, she'd have had some form of her own entertainment. But not this guy, no. This man was something else entirely.

After countless tries, minutes turned to hours, and before they both knew it, the clock struck 8:30am. Streaks of blinding sun threatened to beam through the drapes if she wasn't up in time. Yura threw her legs over the edge of the silken bed and let out a light mewl. The hell was this man still doing?

"...time's up, Master." she yawned, slowly wrapping her robes around her. Whilst walking in between him and the wide-screen TV, Yura made sure to space out the intervals in which she tied the ribbons around her nightgown. A smirk slowly grew on the man's face as he finally came to, all the while he recognized Yura's subtle advances. Pulling the girl by the longest ribbon, the robe loosened its grip on her body, and finally for the first time during the whole 24-hour cycle, something was finally happening. The contact became heated as soon as the distance between them tightened. Not once in her life had she ever thought she'd be as thirsty for another's touch as she was in that exact moment. Deprivation was one thing, but withdrawal was something else entirely.

"...55 dead and 140 injured. And counting."

As if on queue to disrupt her mental repose, the man froze as the reporter's words seemed to slice through the air like newly brandished steel. Yura wasn't pleased, albeit a little offended. She finally gave in to what's been attracting the man's attention for the past couple dozen hours. An air of stoicism and neutrality loomed over them.

"Only 4 humans were found dead and it seems to have been the terrorist group against humans that has hit. The D.T.R. This is... they're 4th big hit this month."

Only 4 humans?

"4 humans were found dead. So does that mean the rest of them were... reapers?"

"Uh-huh. Not like anyone gives a fuck about them, though." he dismissed the mass murder with a wave of his hand. Instinctively, Yura's cheeks began to grow red.

"Why did you spend over a thousand for a night with me, then? Was it perhaps because you felt that you needed a TV companion? What was that phrase - netflix and chill?"

The man rolled his eyes. "I didn't fucking know people were going to die last night. One of them was my brother."

"Oh... my condolences."

"It's all good. Besides, I know you don't care. I saw your 'tattoo' last night when you offered to shower with me for the sake of customer service. You're the same as those mutts, aren't ya?" he growled as he took two large strides towards her and grabbed her by the chin. "You're all good for nothing but death, and sex."

"Would you like to try saying that again?" Yurako had almost had enough.

"Oh! What are you gonna do, baby girl? Kill me? Like the rest of them?"

A split second was all it took. Yurako shook herself out of his grasp and had his trachea in her hand by the time he got to blink. A light squeeze guaranteed a mediocre, slightly painful but not really, death.

"How dare you suggest that I would do otherwise?" she mumbled, kicking the body under the bed and calling for one of her sisters. It was going to be a pretty boring day, considering most of their clientele would be busy bawling over the death of 4 measly humans. Leaving the mess to the other sisters, she quickly dressed up and headed out of the Tavern. Yurako was just a girl. Nonetheless, she refused to be an idle spectator to the destruction that befell a large quantity of her people that night prior.


^{L0WER-RAVENMAY19TH|8:40am}

The distinct scent of metal pervaded through the air. It cleanly sliced through what would have otherwise been the pleasant aroma of dampness and sewage. Dominique fanned the growing stench towards himself, wanting to so badly drown himself in it. The sight and smell of humans' life-juice excited him. It was the type of feeling you'd get after you're woken up by the smell of pancakes and toast in the morning. His dusty boots crunched remnants of newspapers under each of his heavy footsteps, as he took the time to admire the towering buildings that obscured the tiny shack he was heading to. Truth was, he just really wanted to savor the moments leading up to the big event for tonight. A grin formed as the iron-like stench grew stronger and stronger, up to the point where he had to stop for a second and inhale the entirety of it.

Goddamn. There was nothing better than knowing there was something nice to come home to.

The alley path grew narrower, and before he knew it, Dom found himself right in front of the source of the sickly-sweet odor. A familiar, steel door stood between him and his climax. The reaper scanned his surroundings, beyond the towering edifices and sniffed the air to detect any souls nearby. To his luck, he found none, and proceeded to hurriedly unlock the door.

"HONEEEEEY, I'M HOOOOOOOME!" yelled a happy Dominique.

A muffled voice emitted a short, gargled scream from another room. Dom made his way through the log cabin, his smile growing wider as he stepped in. The moment he switched the lights on was queue for more muffled yelling, seemingly from a hooded figure seated in the middle of the dim room.

"How's my little lady?" he politely asked the woman, as he carefully peeled off the cloth and removed the gag.

"You look distressed. I mean, who wouldn't be, am I right?" he let out a chuckle before continuing, "this is your fault y'know. After getting knocked out at a random bar, what else would you expect to happen? Yes yes, of course. Any man would want to take advantage of a lovely girl like you and bring you home. It's only human nature. They want to be graced by your presence, if you know what I mean. Only, whatever happens after that," he paused and stroked her chin encrusted with dried blood, "...depends on the type of man he is."

The woman spit on his shoe, as she was brought out of her disorientated state. "Fuck you" she grunted angrily. The damsel desperately to wriggle and tip the glued chair, earning rope burns and a failing morale. Dom took a step back and admired the view of his next project. "Now, now. Let's not get too feisty!" he grinned. Licking his lips, he stood next to her and raised a finger up to her forehead, sampling a bit of her blood. It fueled his symbolic appetite, and he grew impatient. Bringing his hand down to her jaw, he roughly turned her face towards his. To his annoyance, the woman incoherently screamed nonstop.

"Oh, come on now. You should know by now that no one is going to hear you! Man like me, place like this - there's no way anyone could've chosen a better spot."

Dom revealed the tools he had prepared for her, one by one. "Okay! so here we have a razor blade- because I like to start small. Build up the tension, y'know 'am sayin'? and then this... this adjustable wrench will do wonders on your joints, I swear it. After that, once it gets boring, I'll-- actually? I'll leave the rest as a surprise. You'll love them." With every mention of the next tool, the woman's expression grew even more in disdain. She scrunched up her face as tears welled up in her eyes and ended up on her lap. Dominique noticed this, and exclaimed, "You might want to save those for later. Wouldn't want to dry you out by the time we start" with a wink, he began work on her thighs.

A crescendo of screams and slices later, Dom had noticed the woman's fighting spirit was ailing. No matter how deep he went with the blade, the blood continued to gush but his ears heard no protest.

"Scream for me, will you?" he nagged, beginning to grow bored.

"Go to hell..."

"I'll give you one last chance to beg me to stop, and maybe I'll let you go."

"Fucking end it already."

Dominique groaned.

---

Dominique washed the blood off his hands after his gruesome session, and proceeded to grab his travel bag. Looking around at the evident crime scene, he reveled at the totem pole he had made out of her. The masterpiece sat on the table, with the light shining solely on it, as if to be presented as art. Like ribbons, the rest of her were strewn across the ceiling. It was such a shame to have such a pretty meatsuit like that end up as a means of decoration. Hurriedly flipping over his cellphone, he hopped over the puddles of blood that stained the wooden floors.

The young reaper stepped out from the obscurity of the alleyways into the open, business of the streets. It was not so long after walking half a mile had he noticed the news report the jumbotron had on display. Dominique was quite fascinated with it at best. Another fucker decided to mess with his people, which meant another fucker gets to go to heaven early. A big grin formed on his face as he took off to the crime scene.

¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸a collaвoraтιon вeтween rj and lιlιen¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸

_{@SecretlyDiscord and @sakurasan}

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:-:Location:-: Rosen- Lilien's apartment --> The Lovely Sunset Diner
NPC'S- Mary, the owner of the Lovely Sunset Diner - Calen, the motorcycle gang member

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Lilien awoke with her brother near her on the ground. He had blood on him. She sighed and stood up, ruffling her unruly hair. She had on a pair of black shorts along with a tank top that was meant for men. Under it was a black sports bra due to the fact that it would expose some sideboob if she didn’t wear it.

She sniffed and scratched her leg which had a scar on it. Heading into the restroom and carefully applying foundation to the marks and bruises on her body. Lilien hummed as she did so, making sure not to allow anything to be seen.

“Good morning mother.” she whispered, kissing her mother’s forehead as she lay on the ground. Her mother blinked once before nodding and clutching Lilien’s hand, then releasing it. “I’ll make breakfast. You’d like some curried egg with spinach, wouldn’t you? You’ve been losing more weight mother…” her voice is quiet as she speaks into her mother’s ear.

“Mmm… I just ate last night dear. I-I ate an entire pie. And a bowl of salad.”

It doesn’t count as eating if you throw it all in the trash while you think i’m not watching. It doesn't count if you throw most of it up afterwards. It doesn’t count at all. “Alright. I’ll make you your breakfast.” giving her a faint smile before she walks into the kitchen.

Right as she walked into the kitchen, she felt something in her foot and looked down. “Oh. Shit.” she says with a monotone expression after realizing that she had stepped on a shard of glass. She doesn’t bother pulling it out and instead goes over to the sink and washes her hands, humming yet again. She got out three eggs and saw that there were no spinach. Dang it. She also needed to head out to work. “Mother, i’ll have to have you eat a simple thing of toast for today. I do apologize.” Lilien calls out to her loudly yet it sounds so soothing that you wouldn’t even be able to tell that she was yelling. There was no response from her mother. Everything was just silent.

Lilien went into her brothers room and got out a simple white T-Shirt that was a bit too big for her. It looked as if it was meant to be a dress on her. She took off the tank top and the horrendous scars underneath them showed. Lilien began humming as she placed a black sweater over the sports bra. She would keep the shorts on. Not that they were barely seeable to the eye after being covered by the top. She then grabbed her bag and just as she did, she heard the doorbell ring.

Her mother automatically ran into her tiny room and locked her door while her brother remained asleep. Lilien’s eyes unconsciously widened as she wondered who it could be. Her father isn’t home at these times so it could only be a salesperson or a loan shark. She grabs a knife and stuffs it in her back pocket before opening the door. Once she slowly opens it, she exhales subtly. This mans heart was purple. He hadn’t killed anyone before.

“Goodmorning.” she says, a kind smile now on her face. “Is there a problem?” Slowly closing the door and taking out her key to lock the door.

"Good morning, miss. Are your parents home?" RJ asked politely. He watched Lilien close the door. His eyes narrowed slightly and he tilted his head. "Unless, of course, you are the owner of this house?"

She began to walk as if she expected him to follow. "I live here with my brother and mother. My mother left at 6 am for work so I apologize for that." She stopped and turned around to face him. "I take care of practically everything in the house though. What do you need?"

RJ smiled, satasfied with the answer. He had glanced down at the knife in her pocket, but chose to ignore it seeing as he could probably get away if she pulled it on him. "I am from the local Social Working facillity and a few nights ago, we got a noise complaint from one of your neighbors. They seemed very concerned. May I ask what you and your family were up to on May 19th?"

Shit. One of those. Lilien covered her mouth and chuckled. "Oh my. I didn't think... I told them to turn it down." Lilien put a smile on her face. "My mother has a habit of watching horror movies on full blast on Saturdays. She just wouldn't turn it down. I'm sorry..." Lilien's voice is calm and apolagetic as she plays with her fingers.

RJ's smile disappeared. "Right. Of course, horror movies are such a classic excuse, you know..." He looked at the sky for a moment and sighed. "We have over ten 'noise complaints' on your house. I just want to to know that we have the resources to help you, whatever is going on." He raised his hand to place it on the smaller girl's shoulder. His eyes softened considerably. "Could I take a look around your house?"

Lilien's smile vanished as well and it was replaced with an expression of boredom and disgust. Fuck. This had happened before andthis excuse had worked. I guess they hired someone with a little more logic. This was why Lilien hated it when her father took his anger out on mother. It was usually Lilien but he just had to choose mother. Fuck. She smacked his hand off of her shoulder. "No. I need to get to work. You'll have to come another time." I don't need protecting from a coward. Last night I couldn't help mother because of the fact that my brother went frantic. I could have hurt him.

He didn't seem phased by her action. "That's fine," he said, digging through his bag and pulling out a notebook and a pen. He clicked the pen a few times and scribbled on the top corner of the page. RJ looked at the girl with an attentive expression. "Could you tell me where it is that you work and if your income is primarily supporting your family? I also need your mother's workplace, home number, cell number if you have it, and a time that would be best for me to contact you again." He didn't want to seem pushy, but yes he did. RJ decided that he wanted to protect this kid and her brother, if what she was saying was true and she did have a brother. He was not sure what to make of the parents, but he knew that the kids were worth potentially getting stabbed over.

Agh. Just as she was about to respond, her brother came out of the door with a black sweater, jeans, and red sneakers. He had obviously just woken up and his hair was a bit messy. No. God no. Vincent locked the door quickly and went over to her.

"Who the hell are you?" Vincent had a nasty look on his face as he went behind Lilien and practically pulled her back, grabbing her shoulders. "Sis, you shouldn't talk to creeps. You know that."

With that, Lilien rolled her eyes. "He's not a creep Vince. Just some guy from social services. What are you doing? Wait. Do you have work today? I thought you didn't work on Sunday's."

"No. I'm just going out to the store to go and get some food. We're out of alota of shit so I thought i'd go and get it so that you didn't have to." he sounded calmer than before now and loosened his grip on her. He had too much strength for his own good. That might leave a mark.

"Oh, alright. Thanks Vince. Anyways. You needed to know where I worked?" she looked back at the man that had asked a question. I work at about 8 different places but let's just tell him one. "I work at a diner. Lovely Sunset Diner, it's right by here. I can just ride a bus to the place and you probably saw it on your way here. My mom works at a new place. I forgot the name but i'll find out. But we get by just fine so you don't need to worry about that." Most of the income came from her since she actually did make a good amount of money. Hopefully this was enough.

"Considering the recent attacks, I think it would be better if I gave you two a ride to wherever you're going." RJ smiled brightly. He put his pen in his left hand and extended his right hand to Vincent.
"You must be the brother." He said, "My name is Robert Carr, from Social Works. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I take my job very seriously."

Vincent didn't like this idea but he also knew that the car was in the shop. He murmered something under his breath and nodded. "Fine. Sis. Go with him, alright?" He said it as if she had to do whatever he told her. But Lilien did listen to whatever he said. "Got it.. What about you?" she asks, looking up at him. "I've got to go and do something else before I go to the store so i'm alright." with that, he leans forward and kissed his sister's cheek, almost kissing her on the lips. Then, he whispers something into her ear that wouldn't be able to be heard by the Robert. "This thing's a human. He reeks. If he does anything, you know what to do. Just kill him." he says before giving her shoulders another light squeeze and off before the other man could say anything.

Lilien narrowed her eyes at him as he walked off. He never liked how he was fine with hurting other's yet broke when it came to father. Goddamn blood thirsty, sister complex imbecile. Lilien herself wasn't too fond of violence. At least, she liked to say so anyways. "You heard him. Let's go, yeah?"

"Yeah..." RJ paused to watch Vincent walk away. "Right this way." He bowed and gestured to his car in a dorkily chivalrous way. He then walked all the way to the Nissan and opened the passenger door before opening his own. He got in and patted the passenger seat, smiling at Lilien so that she wouldn't feel threatened.

Lilien followed behind him obediently and as quietly as possible. His smile made her unconsciously take a small step backwards until she figured that he was just doing it to seem nice or whatever. Lilien got into the car and turned her head to look outside. She was hoping that he wouldn't ask any more questions. These types tended to overstep boundaries but he probably wouldn't.

RJ sighed. He was a bit disappointed that his new companion wasn't talking much. He started the car and turned the radio on to the popular music station. It was the safest bet he had.

"You can mess with the radio if you want." He offered and pulled away from the curb. "What was it, Lovely somethin' Diner? You're gonna have to give me directions." RJ's stomach growled. He had barely even touched his breakfast this morning before the call came and he rushed out the door. He blushed a little.

An awkward silence fell in the car and it drove RJ mad. He wanted so badly to ask questions, but he knew that, while this would be the perfect situation, it would probably not earn him the trust and respect that he needed from her to do his job correctly. He spoke up anyways.

"So, how is life here? You know, I've only been in town for a few months, so I haven't had the chance to do much. And with work and everything, man... my coworkers are really working me and my friend. They send us out to do all of the rough jobs. Last night, with the attack and everything, they had us working till three! Do you ever have to work super late?" He rambled.

Lilien didn't feel like having to listen about any of those Reaper killing terrorists. "Lovely Sunset Diner. It's on Lilac street and it's about 10 minutes from here. Just keep going straight." Lilien barely looked at him until she heard his stomach growl. Jesus. He wouldn't end up eating at the darn place, would he? Seeing him blush made her internally chuckle. Pft. How cute. This specific diner that she worked at was a place home to a bunch of dangerous gang members. A while back, they made it their hang out spot and they even took a liking to Lilien. Of course, not her brother since he's a dipshit to any guy that she talks to.

The question about how life was here made her smirk as she looked up at him. Had he not seen the shitty place she lived in? Or maybe he wasn't looking outside of the car enough to see more than 5 homeless people asking for some money. "It's just great." she says, not meaning to sound so rude and sarcastic. "Yea, the latest i've worked is probably 8 am." she responds. 2 am? Please.

"Damn," RJ muttered, "Straight savage." He smirked at his own usage of street slang, "Do you at least get over-time?" He glanced over to her. A young girl like that should not be working through the night like that, he thought. That was the reality of the job, he supposed, meeting kids and people who wouldn't get much further than where they were at the moment. He looked back out the windsheild. RJ's confidence kept her tone from getting to him.

"You can be yourself." He smiled softly, "It doesn't bother me. You forget what I do for a living." He laughed under his breath. "Some people try so hard to make their lives seem normal, but they also forget. Why do they think I'm there? Socializing? Hah." He joked, then realized that he sounded more like his dad than a 24 year old.

"Ah, i guess.. Sometimes." The late night work wasn't for the diner. The diner was owned by a sweet guy around 30 years old. They made sure to pay her and besides, they knew her father. The nice cop that went around town protecting them from bad guys.

The mention of being herself made a smirk form on her lips. At times like these, a lot of people would say stuff like "You don't know what i'm going through." or "You don't know anything." but she knew that she also knew nothing about him. "I wasn't trying to make my life seem normal." she says, looking back out the window. After that, she turned her head, finally actually looking at him. "How old do you even think I am? Just wondering."

Rj was stunned by the question. He slowed down and stopped at a red light. "I don't know." he admitted, "Young. Maybe older teens..." He looked at her, making eye contact. "I'm gonna guess in the 17-19 range..." He noticed that the light had turned green and accelerated again. "How close was I? Close?" He thought for a bit and then asked, "How old do you think I am?"

"19." she says, moving her eyes away from his gaze. Eye contact wasn't something that she was a fan of. "You?" with that, Lilien looks back at him but not at his face or anything like that. She looks straight at his chest and through to his heart. "24." she says as a matter of factly.

"Right!" RJ grinned stupidly, "Fantastic! God, I love reapers. So amazing." He looked back at her. "You're amazing, you know that?" He stated in a serious tone. RJ, at this point, had abandonned all civility and respect for personal boundaries. He smiled out the windshield.

His sudden outbursts caused Lilien to flinch as she looked over at him. Well, not everyone loves Reapers so dearly. His unexpected compliment made Lilien turn her head back outside of the window, her hair covering her face a bit more now. I swear to god. I will not get embarrassed by this shit. "That's the place right over there. You see it? Just turn left here." The Diner looked run down and it had more than 4 motercycles outside of it along with a few classic motercycle gang guys that were just hanging around the place. The cars looked actually pretty posh due to the fact that a new gang had been hanging around and they seemed to have some cash for nice cars.

The sign was barely even holding up, the u in Sunset not anywhere to be seen. It seemed like a shitty place but the inside was better than the outside. Not that you could see that from the outside with the black curtains covering the windows.

RJ did as he was directed, not entirely oblivious to the now straigned atmosphere in the car. He pulled in to a parking space at the far end of the parking lot. His clean white car looked enitrely out of place in the parking lot, but RJ had been in rougher parts of town and didn't feel nearly as phased by it as he should have.

As he took the keyes out of the ignition, he shifted to face Lilien. "Hey, do they serve pancakes here?" He smiled.

With this question, she brightened a bit. ""Yeah! Mary makes really good pancakes." she toned it down a bit, surprised that he even wanted to go inside. ""...You're going to eat here? I mean. It's alright but..." She opened the car door but still faced him.

"Well, yeah. It's only, what 8;45?" RJ said, opening his own car door. "I haven't had breakfast yet, and those pancakes seem promising anyways." He stepped out of the car and hit the 'lock' button inside the drivers door before closing it. RJ purposefully avoided the obvious 'but you're super white bread and these guys could seriously kill you,' statement that was inevitable. He started walking towards the diner. RJ nodded at the men who were standing outside.

"Beautiful day, Gentlemen." He called out, but didn't further engage. He hoped his comment would show that he isn't afraid of them and that he wasn't a threat to them.

Lilien chuckled. They weren't bad guys but they sure as hell looked terrifying. Upon opening the door, one of them called out to her. ""Oh, sweetcakes!" he yelled, coming over to her and giving her a smack on the butt. Lilien kissed his cheek and smacked his hand. "What'd I tell you about that? I'll tell your girlfriend. And she's a feisty one, ya know." Lilien has obviously brightened up a bit. Sweetcakes. That was the worst nickname ever.

""What's that you've brought? A boyfriend? Freshmeat?" he asks teasingly as he looks over at RJ. "You know I don't do boyfriends. But he's not freshmeat either you bloodthirsty idiot. You're acting like my brother." at this, the man looks back at Lilien. "Your brother? That guy with the major sister complex? Nah. He's just an idiot. Me, baby, i'm sweeter than him." He says confidently.

Lilien punches him pretty hard but gives him a playful smile. ""That's my brother you're talking about. Watch it. Remember what happened the last time you pissed him off? How's your arm, baby?" with that, the man that was named Calen put a hand to his heart and acted hurt. "Ouch sweetcakes. Ouch." He soon went on his way and Lilian said hello to a bunch of the other guys and gals that were hanging around. No one there didn't look like they hadn't killed anyone.

"They're idiots. They won't hurt you." Lilien then walks into the Diner and a sweet older lady that was 49 years old and had white hair smiled at her. "Hey darling. Get your uniform on and get to work. Business is booming this morning." she says kindly. "Morning Mary." Lilien goes over and kisses her on the cheek. "This guy wants some of your devine pancakes." Lilien loved this place if it wasn't obvious enough. She smiled and put on an apron.

"Looks better on the inside, does it not?" she asks him. The inside looked like a classic Diner that had been around for a while. They even had a jukebox in the corner that was playing Fooled around and fell in by Elvin Bishop. Lilien swayed to the music a bit as she gave him a glass of water with a professional smile.

RJ reached out to shake Mary's hand. "Good morning, ma'am. It's a beautiful day out." He gave a charming smile before looking back at Lilien. He had an expression of serenity on his face whenever he looked at troubled people in their comfort zones. It wasn't often, mind you, but RJ reveled in it. He liked watching Lilien enjoy herself in this place.

"It's beautiful." RJ exhaled. He had a soft spot for diners like this, the ones that reminded him of the old dives back in Washington. His dad always told him that diners are where friends and family can be found, and RJ believed it. It was in a diner like this that he went on his first date and where he had his first kiss. Not that it was different from anywhere else he went, but RJ felt comfortable. He did a 360 survey of the place before finding an empty stool at the counter.

"You seem more chipper now." RJ mentioned. "Does Mary treat you well?" His question seemed more casual than the questions from before, less of an interview and more like a passing remark. He sipped his water and looked up at Lilien with puppy-dog eyes.

It's a beautiful day out? She hadn't heard anyone say that in a while. Lilien slightly smiled when she heard him compliment the Diner. For some reason, a compliment to the diner made her feel better than getting a compliment meant for herself. Much better. His remark of her being more chipper didn't surprise her but she felt like she should tone it down. "Mary? Mary's lovely. She's like the mother for all of us." she says, her eyes nearly closed as she wipes down the counter.

Mary speaks up then. "You're too sweet. Your fa-" with that, Lilien quickly cuts her off and begins speaking. "Oh! Mary! Do you have any apple pie? I don't know what you do, but it tastes better when you make it." she says, giving Mary a smile and turning back to RJ. Wait. What the heck was this guys name? Oh yeah. Roberto. Wait no. Robert? Yeah.

"Yeah I have some dear. Freshly baked too. I'll go and get it." with that, Mary dissapeared into the kitchen and Lilien internally exhaled, glad that she got around the mention of her father. She barely even said father before she cut her off so it was fine.

RJ put his elbows on the counter and leaned forward. "How long have you been working here, then?" He asked, making eye contact again. His mouth was formed into the shadow of a smile. He appeared to be much more relaxed than he was earlier. Perhaps the tiredness from last night was catching up to him again. He yawned, covering his mouth with his fist.

"Sorry, could I get some coffee?" He asked. "Gotta get that caffeine rush." RJ flashed another charmingly dorky smile and sat up straight. He ran a hand through his hair, which was relatively well behaved, though still a bit on the crazy side. He attempted to make the best of the situation by rustling it a bit and parting it slightly. The effort was futile, his hair morphed right back to its original appearance, much to RJ's frustration.

"I've been working here for... about 5 years now." she says, her eyes widening at her own words. Time flew fast. "Yeah, sure." she says, going over to the coffee station and pouring him a nice and hot cup. "There." Lilian looked at his hair which he kept messing with for whatever reason. "What are you doing? Your hair looks fine." she says, handing a man nearby his order.

"Hm?" RJ focused on her. "Oh, thanks, but I let it dry while I slept so I think it dried funny..." His voice trailed off. "Not that I can do anything with it right now, but-" he cut himself off by drinking some coffee. "Long hair must be nice. You can do a lot with it to keep it out of the way." He remarked. "Did your parents let you dye it, or was it a spur of the moment kind of thing?" Again, trying to make his questions sound as casual as possible. Afterall, RJ was still on the clock, working his hardest to gage what kind of life Lilien was leading. Now that they were in this diner, RJ felt confident that he could get more out of her. She seemed to be more open and responsive to either the place or his new, calmer tone, and RJ knew it.

"Oh." she says, not really getting it since she doesn't touch her hair much. "Yeah. My hair's beautiful." she says before getting a man another thing of beer. "Well, my brother says so anyways." The mention of her parents didn't make her feel great bt it was what it was. "My brother said that it would look good if I dyed it this color. So I did."

"And your parents didn't get mad? I know my dad would have killed me if I dyed my hair." RJ smirked at the idea of himself with blonde, or maybe even green hair. "He's a great guy, but he's all about being genuine and.. I guess not dying hair. 'He's got two girls though, so I can't imagine what that's gonna be like for him." He laughed. "It wasn't a problem for me and my brother." His mouth smiled, but his eyes did not at the mention of his brother.

"Now, your brother," RJ began slowly, so as to not set her off, "You two seem to really get along." He smiled and took another sip of coffee. "Does he work too? Or is it just you and your mom working?"

"They didn't mind. They said it looked nice." Lies. That's a lie. Her father nearly killed her. Saying how it would mess up his image if both of his siblings went around with that obscene color. But she didn't care. Lilien's eyes automatically shot up, meeting his when he mentioned her brother but she cooled herself down, writing down orders. "He works as well." she says, looking back down.

"I didn't mean to pry." RJ said, putting his hands up in mock surrender. "I don't want you to think I'm one of those guys." His eyes were apologetic. RJ silently cursed himself. He was sure he'd just taken one step forward and two steps back in this small investigation. His hands rubbed the mug in his hands. "You seem busy now, I'll let you do your job." RJ smiled at Lilien warmly and took his phone out.

Lilien raised an eyebrow. "One of those guys? I hadn't assumed anything. So far, you're a 24 year old male that is frustrated at his hair and a classic social worker that has a job that requires you to ask questions." she sounded a bit irritated as she spoke. "Yes. I do hope you enjoy your meal, sir." she says, flashing him a fake and professional smile before walking off to take a man's order.

RJ watched her walk off. He turned back to his phone and texted his friend.
-'Hey, man. Can't pick you up. Having breakfast.'
Along with a hilariously unflattering selfie. His friend texted back,
-'I said I was calling in sick. I'm going to assume you're having fun on the job. Beautiful as always, RJ.'

RJ sighed, bored. He dug out a sketchbook and began to draw nothing in particular.

---

The sun was rising, and the chilled morning air did Adam no favors. He stood under a tattered awning, in some alley. He pulled out a lighter, and a cigarette. He lit the tobacco and took a puff. Tasted like sewage. Maybe it was the dirty air in the alley, or the asshats smoking pot right behind him. Adam never enjoyed cigarettes, and he wasn’t going to any time soon. Sighing, he took notice of his surroundings. Some people with nowhere else to go had resided in the far end of the alley. A raccoon ran by, being chased by god knows who or what. A radio playing in the midst of the silence and noise only a city could produce reminded Adam why he was here. 55 dead. Nearly all Reapers. The alley slowly emptied, as the day progressed. A vendor’s cart opened up on the main street. Adam sighed, and walked down the alleyway, to the large metal door. He knocked once. No answer. He knocked again. No answer. He sighed, and turned the knob. The idiots had left the place unlocked

Adam entered the large warehouse. He saw that the resident suppliers car was missing. They had gone out. Great. Walking towards the garage area, Adam found what he had been looking for: Gasoline. He took several gallons, and spread them across the warehouse floor. He turned to the garage. Pulling up a stepladder, he began to mess with the door mechanism. After 10 minutes of fiddling, the deed was done. When they pulled in, whether it be sooner or later, their entire storage area would go up in smoke. It’s what they got for supplying terrorists, if his intel was to be believed. As he walked down the main road, he heard the door open, then flames, and the screams of idiot kids who didn’t know what they had gotten into. This was Rosen. There would be no investigation, and nobody would miss them. One rival down, the entire city to go.

^{L0WER-RAVEN TO ROSENMAY19TH|10:45am}

The wind that gushed all through the morning air had not made the travel easy for her. Yurako's embellished furisode hakama blew furiously along with the breeze, resembling a trembling butterfly in its rawest state. The young woman had set out on an agenda, but first she had to meet with one of her partners in crime.

The two had met at the Tavern at some point in time during her rookie years. The Parents hired a seedy man who was much younger than she was, yet seemed to hold a tighter grasp on the knowledge surrounding illicit botanical farming. They had grown from strangers to mere acquaintances that offered each other a stray helping hand whenever one needed it. Yurako's confrerè was later known to be called, "Atlas". For a few years, her employers paid the man in terms of monetary value instead of the usual supply of Tavern Daughters they used as currency. This was shown to be a sign of great respect, and one that they rarely showed to anyone from outside the Family. The two parties appreciated the advantages that benefited the both of them, and thus Yurako and Atlas had kept a silent, though less frequent contact throughout the years leading up to now. However, between then and now, Yura still wouldn't be able to fill a page of a palm-sized book with what she knew about Atlas' personal life as a whole.

Yurako struggled to keep her hair out of her face and her clothes in place as the arrival of the train brought about with it a sudden gust of wind. With all eyes and the attention on her, she could barely make out half of what the pedestrians around her were saying. What the hell was a cosplay?

Overall, the train ride took approximately 50 minutes, including the time it took for her to swat away at the old men that tried to grab at either her bosom or her ass. The hostess was not totally new to Rosen. In fact, she had been there a couple of times when she had the excuse to make a delivery to her friend-in-hiding. Savage was an understatement to describe the damn place, she thought as she stepped out from the train and rounded a sharp curve that lead her straight into an alleyway. There were puddles of vomit, blood and only the gods knew what else. Lifting the hems of her skirt the entire way, she carefully made her way into the warehouse that stood abandoned in the opening where the rank alleyway ended. Luckily, she hadn't been spotted by any lurking citizens. Everyone in Grim knew that a good amount of the roaches that inhabited Rosen were something more than barbaric and bloodthirsty.

"Ada--" she yelled before promptly stopping herself.

"Atlas! Are you home?"

@AdobeFlash

Rosen: A Rooftop Somewhere

Why was it so frigging boring? She thought that after last night there'd at least be some information to gather, some sort of commotion. But no... if anything, the streets were deader than ever, windows boarded up and Reapers and humans alike shaking in their boots indoors. Maybe she should have stayed at Gran's boutique, at least she would have made someone happy.

Audrey let out a soft string of curses as she stretched like a lazy tabby cat. Rooftops were great for soaking in some early morning heat, and from where she sat, she had a clear view of her bike and several alley ways. Maybe she'd find a drunk to pickpocket or someone who'd be fun to mess with. The girl stifled a yawn and as time ticked past, it took more and more out of her not to just outright fall asleep.

The minutes turned into an hour before something finally caught Audrey's eye.

The girl arched an eyebrow. From her perch, she noticed a woman making her way through an alley below. Pretty face aside, she looked plain ol' normal. But something about the way she was moving through alleys gave her a secretive air. It piqued the bored Audrey's curiosity and soon she was slowly following the woman with her gaze and utilizing her wind abilities to hop soundlessly from rooftop to rooftop. Eventually the alleys came to an end and she saw the woman heading towards an abandoned warehouse. Looks like this day was going to be damn interesting after all. With a goofy looking smile plastered to her face, and a determination burning brightly in her eyes, Audrey leaped down from the rooftop allowing the wind below to cushion her fall. She bent her knees and landed silently, just like a cat.

She didn't particularity care about getting caught. Where was the fun in staying silent and hidden after all?

"Atlas! Are you home?"

Audrey kept the same excited grin on her face as she approached Yurako. "Interesting place you've got here. Ooh," she was in her annoying imp mode. "Is this some sort of secret clubhouse? A slaughterhouse maybe? Saw you lurking around the alleys all secretive and shit."

@LazyEgg

Committing arson was not something you wanted to be associated with, especially when your business involves no authorities knowing who you were. Smelling of gasoline, Atlas decided to walk back to the warehouse. He had several appointments today that he could not afford to miss. Sighing, he navigated the twisting streets and alleyways of the borough. They were unusually quiet. Probably due to the attack. Atlas walked past a small, tidy looking building. Almost walking past it, he turned to face the small brick structure. No doors, no windows. This was a suppliers den, and a poorly made one at that. After spray painting some obscene messages onto the building, he continued on.

Atlas decided it was best to stealth the rest of the way to the warehouse. Walking with a deafening silence, he turned the corner into the alleyway. Christ, the door was open. He heard snippets of conversation, something about a clubhouse. He was prepared to 'disarm' the intruder, readying a knife. He opened the door. Yukako was standing there (What could she want?) and some little girl.

"She part of your entourage?", Atlas asked leaning against the door

<sup>ROSENMAY19TH|10:50am




ROSENMAY19TH|10:55am</sup>

Dominique had gotten bored after the 2 minute mark. The premise was rather exciting, but the execution could NOT have gone any slower. The brunette stretched his muscles and didn't bother waiting for the right time, jumping in straight through the roof of the warehouse, landing right behind Audrey. The debris crashed to the floor, and everyone got to take cover before any severe injuries ensued. A grin slowly grew on his face as he turned to Audrey and placed a delicate hand on his hip.

"The fuck? You into child's play now? How bored are you?" he walked up to her and rested his arm on her shoulder, elbow prodding her cheek. "Also, sheathe your weapon, miss. No one's gonna be fighting with this kid around."

@The Book Thief @AdobeFlash

Rosen: Warehouse

So, uh, was this woman ignoring her or what? With the stealthy entrance she'd made, Audrey had been expecting more of a reaction. Mostly, whenever she'd pop up like this, people would at least yelp out in surprise. Yeah, radio silence wasn't what she thought she'd get. The girl's eyebrows furrowed in irritation. "Oi, cat got your - whoa."

Yurako summoned a scythe the moment the door creaked open, and a slight hint of surprise crept onto Audrey's face. Oh, cool, cool, this woman was a reaper too... and she wanted to fight back against those terrorists responsible for the bombing? She wasn't sure if she was following their conversation correctly, and she wasn't sure why they'd talk so openly while she was hanging around, but that was what it sounded like. Audrey had to take it back, today sounded like it was going to be one heck of a hot mess.

And right as she reached that conclusion, debris began raining down on them and someone landed right inside the building. She tensed a little at the thought of it being an enemy but relaxed when she noticed it was just good ol' Dominique. She flashed a grin, but the moment he rested his arm on her shoulder, the grin disappeared. She hated it when people did that, it reminded her about how much taller than her everyone else usually was.

"The fuck? You into child's play now? How bored are you?"

"Oh, I dunno, like really fucking bored, Dommy," Audrey let out a loud sigh. "I figured things would be a lot more lively today," the words died in her throat the minute he called her a kid and Audrey scoffed. Who was he calling a kid? "Oi, don't treat me like I'm some little girl, pal." Despite the roughness in her tone, there was a hint of fondness there. Dom was a friend, irritating sometimes, but yeah, he was okay in her books.

"Anyway," her eyes fell to Yurako and Atlas. "I'm not some lil' kid, okay? So what's this thing you've been talking about? The whole 'going after the perpetrators' shebang?" To clarify things, she held up her left hand, yanked off her glove and showed them her mark as if to say she was on their side. Maybe they already knew, what with the whole popping out of nowhere thing, but yeah... just to be sure. "So Dommy, what brings you here anyway? Betcha you're just hella bored too." She ribbed him lightly then waited for some sort of response. Hopefully the other two wouldn't attack them for being plain ol' annoying, but either way, things were getting really interesting.

@LazyEgg @AdobeFlash